Panoramic camera.



NTE?) JAN. 3.0, 1905.

No. www.

AlON FILE-T3 AFF.. 2,1904.

APPL-IL 4 SHEETS-SHEET No. 779,956, PATElRTTED JAN. l0, 1905. C. MLLS,

ANAMG CAMERA.

APPLXGATION FILED APR. z, 1904.

mums-SHEET a.

No. 779,956. PATENT@ JAN, 1o, 1905.

C, MLLS.

PANORAMIG GAMERA,

APPLIOATIT PILE-D APR.2I,19D4.

4SHEETS-SHEBT 4.

UNITED STATES Patented January lO, 1905 PATENT OEEICE.

CHARLES MILLS, OF BOS"ON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO ELMER CHICKERTNG,OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSE""S.

PANORAIVHC CAMERA.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 779,956, dated. January10, 1905.

Application file April 2, 1904. Serial lio. 201.237.

T0 a/Z whom, 7175 Wwf/y concern:

Be itknown that I, CHARLES M ILLs, a British subject. and a resident ofBoston, county of Suffolk, Massachusetts, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Panoramic Cameras, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to cameras, and is in the nature of animprovement upon the invention in cameras patented to me by LettersPatent of the United States, No. TMQQQS dated November 24, `1903.

The present invention is intended to provide improved means for securinga convenient and rapid adjustment in order to vary the focal distance ofvarious parts of the focusingscreen back or of the film.

The present improvements dispense with any necessity for the operator toinsert his hands into the interior of the casing or chamber to adjustthe focusing-screen or the film or to bring the film into position afterthe guides constituting the adjusting-frame have been properly adjustedby thel aid of the focusingscreen and after the focusing-screen has beenremoved.

These and other features constituting my invention will be particularlydescribed in this specification and will be precisely defined in theclaims forming part hereof.

In the accompanying' drawings l have shown one mode of embodying' theprinciples of the present invention; but it will be understood that thedetails of the mechanism may be varied without departing' from thespirit of the invention.

Figure l of the drawings is a horizontal section taken through themiddle plane of the camera and showing the lower adjustable guide andthe adjustable holders or carriers thereof. Fig'. 2 is a verticallongitudinal section showing the g'uide-frames in the interior of thecamera, the casing being in section. Fig. 3 is a plan view of thecasing, showing' the ends of the spring-rollers upon which the film andthe focusing-screen, respectively, are wound. Fig. A is a verticalcentral section through one of the adjustable slides or holders whichcarry the flexible g'uide-pieces. Fig. 5 is a bottom plan view thereof.Fig'. 6 is a detail side elevation of one of these holders. Fig. 7 is anelevation showing how the end of the film is secured to thefocusing-screen so that the film may be brought into position forexposure through the lens. Fig'. 8 is a detail view of one of thespring-rollers upon which the film and the focusing-screen,respectively, are wound.

The casing (i is open at its rear side, said opening being closed by twosliding doors (if, so as to give free vision and access to the interior.At one end of the camera is mounted a vertical spring-actuated rollerI), upon which the focusing-screen Zi is rolled up. In a co1'-responding position at the other end of the camera is placed aroll-holder c of any suitable construction, which embraces a lighttightcasing c' and a spring-roller c2, on which is wound the film e3, theouter end of the film being' provided with a flap ci, having' a mctalliclip or straight edge cf. The flap projects through the vertical apertureor slot c, through which the film is drawn for exposure. In constructingthe flexible frame for positioning or guiding the film in this case Imay omit the intermediate horizontal strips shown in my earlier patentand use simply top and bottom flexible guidestrips al, which arepreferably made of flexible bands or ribbons of spring metal. Theseflexible guides (l are held in place b v a series of' holdersconstructed to be operated :from the outside of the camera, said holdersin this instance being' shown as having' a radial arrangement around therear of the camera.

Enlarged detail views of the form of holders herein described will befound in Figs. 4, 5, and 6. As there shown, each holder comprises asliding member e, working in a slotted guideway ef and having pivotallysecured to its inside face, so as to project above the floor or belowthe top of' the camera, as the case may be, a clip c, formed with avertical slot e3 and pivotally held to the slide e by means of afastening-screw e* or the like. The slide e is also provided with alongitudinal bore or bearing portion e5, through which passes aspring-actuate :l plunger-rod e. The

tension of the spring tends to keep the plunis formed a simplebayonet-joint to provide a I detachable engagement between the two. '.lothe under side of the bracket e is secured a spring' clip or detent c,which has an upturned lip @10, adapted to engage a rack-bar e. It willbe noticed that when the projecting pin @7 of the bayonet-joint is inlocking engagement with the transverse slot of the bayonetjoint thelongitudinal movement of the rod will bc c ri1nuinicated to the slide c.However, the slide itself will be locked against longitudinal movementso long as the springclip cw engages the rack-bar am. In order, then, toadjust the slide longitudinally, it is necessary to turn the plunger etuntil the projecting pin @7 depresses the spring-clip 0" so that itsprojecting clip @lo is released from engagement with the rack-bar @12.Obviously as soon as the spring-clip is released from the rack-bar theplunger-rod can then be slid backward and forward to give the properlongitudinal adjustment to the sliding bracket or holder c. The detailsof construction maybe greatly varied so long as provision is iliade forlongitudinally adjusting the sliding holder without adinitting light tothe interior of the camera, provision being also made for locking orsecuring the holder in its various positions of adjustment. Any desirednumber of these adjustable holders may be provided for givingindependent adjustment to various parts of the guide-strips The twoguidestrips are preferably connected at their ends by vertical rods (If,which form guiding support for securing the travel of the end of thi`film and the end of the focusing-screen, re-

spectively, back of the adjustable guide-t frames. In my aforesaidpatent the adjustable frame was first focused and then the film was laidby the hands of the operator on the inside of the guides, the ends ofthe film being secured and the middle portions being pressed backagainst the conca-ve side of the frame. 1n this case, however, both thefilm and the focusing-screen are positioned behind. or outside of theadjustable guide-frame instead of inside or in front of it, and they areheld snugly against the convex facesof the guide-frame by the tension ofthe rollers.

The operation of the device is substantially as follows: Thenpreparation is being made for making a panoramic picture, the lighttightroll-holder c is inserted in the recess formed to receive it. Thefocusing-screen is then drawn back of the adjustable fralnes l (l, itsfrontend being provided with spring'- clip 1, which is locked into theprojecting straight edge c of the flap of the lilm. This manipulationcan be accomplished through the opening' at the rear of the cameranormally closed by the doors ft or through an opening normally closed bya small handdoor uf. By adjustment of the various sliding brackets orholders f; the various parts of the focusii'ig-screen may be broughtinto different focal distances relative to the lens. As soon as this isdone the focusing-screen is then drawn back on its roller by winding theroller, which is accoinplished by an external handle, (shown at 65,) andas the [lap of the iilm is connected to the last end of thefocusing-screen it will necessarily be drawn out from the roll-holderand pass behind the adjustable frames, so as to occupy precisely theposition that the focusiiig-screen previously occupied. ll'hen this isdone, everything is in readiness 'for the snapping of the shutter tomake the exposure. After the cxposure the iilm is rolled up on its.roller inside of the roll-holder, the door z3 is opened, the end of thefilm is unhooked or disconnected from the screen,.ai'ul may be caughtupon a hook rt", conveniently arranged to hold it. The roll-lwldercarrying the exposed lilm may then be removed to be replaced by anotherroll-holder carrying a similar film.

By the above-described construction and arrangement I can very quicklyand easily bring the film into the position occupied by thefocusing-screen while getting the focal adjustment, Furthermore, in casel should suddenly desire to change the focal distance after the lllm isbrought into its position for exposure l can instantly make thisadjustment without removing the l'ilzn or without exposing it to light,',lhe individual sliding brackets or holders may be marked withAl'ocus-scales to serve as a guide for making such quick adjustmentwithout the aid of the focusing-screen, The tension of the rollers atthe two ends of the film tends to draw the film smoothly and snugly overthe outside of the adjustable frames, so that no buckling or wrinklingpossible. .l am therefore enabled to secure the undulatory arrangementof film which it is the object of my patented invention to secure; butin this case this result is obtained in a more rapid and convenientmanner,

lVithout attempting to set forth all the changes in form, construction,and arrangement that may be made in the practice of my invention or allthe uses to which it may be applied, what l claim is- 1. A cameraembracing in its construction` the adjustable guide-strips forpositioning the y film, a series of sliding brackets arranged to engagesaid guides at intervals, and. means for IOO adj ustably securing therespective brackets in various positions of'adjustment, substantially asdescribed.

2. A camera embracing in its construction, the interior adjustableguide-pieces for positioning the film, devices for holding' differentportions 'ot' said guide-strips in various positions of adjustment, andmeans operated from the outside of the camera for controlling theadjustment of said devices, substantially as described.

3. A camera embracing' in its construction, the internal adjustableguides for positioning the strip, aseries of radially-arranged slidingbrackets provided with means for engaging the guide-strips, each bracketbeing provided with a sliding plunger accessible Jfrom the outside of'the casing to control the position of the bracket, substantially asdescribed.

4. In a camera the combination of a series of sliding brackets providedWith pivoted clips, a flexible guide-strip seated in the pivoted clipsof said brackets, each bracket being provided with means for securing itin different positions of adjustment in order to give the guide-strip anundulatory form or position with respect to the lens, substantially asdescribed.

5. In a camera the combination of the liexible guide-strip forpositioning the film, a series of sliding brackets provided With meansfor engaging said guide-strip, a series of sliding plungers havingdetachable engagement with said sliding brackets respectively, saidbrackets being provided also with detents for locking them in differentpositions of adjustment, substantiallj7 as described.

6. A camera embracing in combination, an adjustable guide-frame forpositioning' the film and the focusing-screen, and tension-rollersarranged to permit the iilm to be turned around the outside of saidguide-frame and to hold the iilm snugly against the outside of saidguide-frame in its various positions of adjustment, substantially asdescribed.

7. A camera embracing in its construction, a receptacle for alight-tight roll-holder formed at one end of the camera, atension-roller formed at the other end of' the camera, a flexiblefocusing-screen secured to and Wound upon said roller, an adjustableconcave convex guide-frame constructed and arranged to permit the screento be drawn around and held against the convex or outside face of saidadjustable guide, substantially as described.

8. In a camera the combination of the adjustable guide-frame with anoutside convex surface to hold the film in position for exposure, saidcamera being formed at one end to receive a roll-holder provided with afilm, a tension-roller secured to the other end of' said camera, aiexible apron secured to said tension-roller and provided at its outeredge With means for engaging' the film whereby the Winding up of thetension-roller draws the film into position behind the adjustable guide,substantially as described.

9. A camera embracing in its construction, a casing formed with aninterior recess for a roll-holder, a tension-roller arranged in theinterior of said casing, a flexible screen secured to and wound uponsaid tension-roller and having its outer end provided with aclamping-clip to engage the outer end iiap ot' the iilm When in place,and an adjustable flexible guide arranged to oli'er a convex surface tothe said screen and to the lilm respectively when either of them isdrawn behind said guide, substantially as described.

10. In a camera the combination of the adjustable film-holder, a slidingbracket having engagement with said {ihn-holder to vary its position, areciprocating plunger provided with means for forming a detachableengagement with saidsliding bracket to move the same, a spring-detentsecured to the sliding bracket to lock it against movement and arrangedto be released by a rotary movement of said plunger, substantially asdescribed.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 26th day of March,1904.

CHARLES MILLS.

In presence of-u FRANK MARCHAND, CLARENCE IV. RowLEY.

